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BROWNWOOD – For weeks, months and a little over a year, McMurry fans spoke of losing streak. Thanks to a win over East Texas Baptist Oct. 3, and Saturday afternoon's 37-13 win over Howard Payne, McMurry fans can talk about a win streak for the first time since 2006. Jake Mullin passed for 432 yards and four touchdowns with R.J. long the recipient on three scores as McMurry coasted to its second-straight victory at Gordon Wood Stadium.
Mullin and the McMurry offense opened the floodgates in the first half getting 327 of the team's 446 passing yards in the first two quarters. Mullin connected with Long for a 71-yard touchdown pass to open the game with 13:13 left in the first quarter. Howard Payne responded with 10 unanswered points, but the rest of the game belonged to McMurry.
Mullin found Long again with 2:18 left in the first quarter on a 22-yard touchdown pass to help McMurry regain the lead for good at 14-10. Then, McMurry regained possession and scored just four minutes later when Mullin hit Delfonte Diamond in the flat and proceeded to juke a defender and run for an 83-yard touchdown.
The Yellow Jackets responded in the second half with a 38-yard field goal to open the third quarter from Andrew Bailey. However, for the second week in a row, the McMurry defense had the opponent on lockdown and HPU did not score again.
Keenan Alford added a 1-yard touchdown run with 8:40 left in the third quarter to extend the McMurry lead to 28-13. Then, late in the fourth quarter, McMurry scored twice in 39 seconds to end any doubt of an HPU comeback. First, Mullin found Long from 9-yards out for Mullin's fourth touchdown pass and Long's third touchdown catch. Then, HPU suffered a holding penalty after the kickoff to put the team on its own 8-yard line before McMurry's Titus Williams sacked HPU quarterback Jordan Hubbard for a safety.
Howard Payne could only muster 299 yards of total offense against McMurry's defense while Mullin, Long and Diamond helped McMurry tally 466. Long finished with six catches for 134 yards, Diamond had five grabs for 119 yards and Marcus Franklin caught seven passes for 86 yards.
Mullin completed his second game without an interception and became the first McMurry quarterback to toss at least four touchdowns in consecutive games since Braxton Shaver did in 1998.
Defensive backs Gavan Bass and Jared Villanueva each had ten tackles apiece and both players had five solo. Nick Hernandez continued his outstanding season with eight tackles and two for a loss. Williams finished with four tackles, two for a loss and the sack for a safety. Gene Hudson picked up his third interception of the season in the fourth quarter setting up Long's third touchdown catch.
Hubbard finished with 253 yards passing on 25 of 41 attempts. He found Tre Mason in the first quarter for HPU's only touchdown from nine-yards out.
McMurry improved to 2-4 overall and 2-2 in the American Southwest Conference while Howard Payne dropped to 3-2 overall and 1-2 in league play. McMurry returns to Wilford Moore Stadium Saturday for Homecoming against Sul Ross State. The Lobos moved to 2-1 in ASC play with a 35-7 win over Texas Lutheran in Alpine Saturday. Kickoff between the two ASC foes is at 2 p.m.
